This column is sad, but has a happy ending. I'm not here to depress you.

I have a thought process that pretty much directs how I write this column. I try to give you some information about our area all wrapped up in a few chuckles.

I do not attempt to illicit hysterical laughter from you. Hysterical laughter would require a relatively narrow field humor. If I pick that field wrong, I'm going to lose some of you to the that's-not-even-a-little-bit-funny shadows. So, I go with amused.

Conversely, I almost never go to the righteous indignation place. You don't need me to work you into a lather of fury. Sitting on PennLive right now are all kinds headlines that can do just that without trying even just a little bit. I figure, why bother.

Nevertheless, this week I had myself literally wild about something that happened in East Pennsboro Township. I was furious. I was livid. I knew this was something you needed to hear.

No,no, no it has nothing to do with this year's possible dates for trick-or-treat, but stay tuned, that column comes out in August.

On April 27, the good people of East Pennsboro Township planted 25 small saplings, sycamore trees, in Ridley Park. The trees, which were free to the township, were planted near the creek bed to help stabilize the bank, look pretty and any number of other reasons one would plant a tree.

By May 4, the trees were gone.

Cheri Matter, who is the township's director of recreation, said township officials thought at first the rising creek had washed the trees away. But, that wasn't it. Matter said at this point officials are somewhat confident the trees were just pulled out of the ground, by someone.

What would possess anyone to pull 25 little trees, which would someday be 25 big, glorious trees, out of the ground?

I called Gregory Black, president of Black Landscape Contracting, Inc., just outside downtown Lisburn, to get an idea of how much the trees were worth. I was sure you'd want to know.

Black, who is also a member of the Lisburn Community Fire Company and a past president, said the wholesale cost of a sycamore sapling of the size planted by the township would be about $11. I'll save you the time, that's around $275 in vanished trees.

Well, that got me even more distressed. I sure don't have $275 to throw around.

Then, Black said something that shut me right down. I'd mentioned earlier in the conversation the township hoped someone would donate new trees. Black said if no one came forward with new trees, the township could give him a call. He'd order some extra ones this fall for them.

A gift.

I'm pretty much going to stop writing now. There's a lesson in this, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to articulate it. Telling you life is difficult, but it's never all bad is a little banal.

Perhaps, this will work: Sometimes life is difficult, but sometimes it feels like magic.